Something in the Water
by pandorabox82
Summary: Penelope receives the heartbreaking news that she cannot have children without intervention. So she decides that the next best thing will be to get one of her friends in the family way. But what happens when her plan works a little too well?


Penelope sighed as she stepped off the elevator. It had not been a good doctor's appointment, and she was feeling down. Glumly, she entered the bullpen and looked around. Blake was laughing with Reid, her hand on his shoulder. Derek and Jayje were deep in a discussion, though he did meet her eye when she came in. His brow furrowed, and she shook her head, looking up to Hotch and Rossi's offices. Hotch's door was open, and he was bent over a report, while Rossi's door was closed. Squinting her eyes, she focused on the second figure in the office, wondering who it was.

And then, the person stood and looked out into the bullpen and Penelope felt a warm smile spread across her face. "Erin," she murmured, taking off for the stairs. Without knocking, she burst into the room and threw her arms around her friend. "When did you get back?" she asked in a rush.

"Yesterday. The children and I had a wonderful time in Europe, travelling and being together. I never would have thought that in the aftermath of the Replicator debacle I'd get a second chance with them." Erin hugged her tightly for a moment, rubbing her back. "And I brought back something for you."

"What?"

"You'll have to wait and see. Would you and Derek like to join us for supper tonight?"

She nodded excitedly. "That would be wonderful." Penelope sighed lightly, her hand coming to rest on her stomach.

"What is it, Penny?"

"I just got some bad news at the doctor today. I'll be fine, in time." She shrugged a little, hoping that her smile didn't wobble. "So, should we bring anything?"

"Just your smiling selves. We'll see you at seven?"

"Sounds perfect." Leaning in, she kissed Erin's cheek gently before sashaying from the room and heading over to her office. Morgan was in there, leaning against her desk and smiling at her. "Hi, honey."

"Baby Girl, you need to tell me what the doctor said. Your eyes are much too sad for it to be anything good."

She nodded, knowing she couldn't avoid telling him the truth, stepping into his open arms and snuggling in close, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne. "So, we're a no go with a family. Doctor Knapp said that the probability of my getting pregnant without assistance are about slim to none. She gave us some literature to look over, about the different options that are available for me."

"And why does that make you sad? We have the money to try some of these options," he replied, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"It's my fault I can't get pregnant. If I hadn't been so stubborn about going on that date with Battle, he wouldn't have shot me, and we could have a child unassisted. My selfishness is going to make it so that we have to spend a lot of money. I don't even want to try at this point."

She burst into tears and he enclosed her in a tight embrace, rubbing her back in gentle circles. "And that's perfectly okay. When you're ready, we'll talk about our options." She nodded against his chest and let him lead her over to her sofa. Together, they sat, and she clung to him, weeping out her frustration and hurt.

"We're going over to Rossi's for super," she whispered, once she'd gotten control of her emotions once more.

"That will be nice. I know Erin probably has some stories to tell us about her vacation. Can I tell you something?"

"What, Der?"

"I love you." She smiled at his words, a deep sigh erupting from her lips.

"And I love you. Thank you for making me feel better."

"It's what I'm good at." He kissed her forehead once more and then gently pushed her away. "I should probably get back to my work, now. Cruz doesn't like when we spend too much time together on the clock."

"Do not remind me. Was Erin this much of a hard ass?"

Derek laughed as he ruffled her hair lightly. "Your memory is being very selective right now. You know that we all despised her and her heavy-handed ways. And then, she changed, becoming softer and more open. And relaxed. You're just using rose-colored glasses to view her now."

She sighed and shrugged. "All right, so maybe I am altering the past, a smidge, but I really don't think Erin was this awful." Penelope pouted a little before pushing him away. "Now go. Work. I'll see you when we leave for Rossi's." She kissed him softly before heading over to the door and opening it for him.

As she looked out into the bullpen, she found her focus drawn to the three women who were most important in her life at the moment. Erin and Alex were softly talking, a tender smile on Alex's face as she nodded about something Erin was saying. JJ was now talking to Reid, showing him a picture, most likely of Henry. And then, she felt a wave of inspiration wash over her. Grinning to herself, she scurried back into her office and sat down at her desk, booting up her personal laptop.

"Oh, I hope that they don't hate me for this," she whispered as she began to search for ways to boost fertility naturally. The wheels were beginning to turn in her head as she took down copious notes, highlighting and starring the first one that sounded good. "Yoga. I wonder how I could get Jayje, Erin, and Alex, to take a yoga class with me. And then get them pregnant."

"What was that, Penelope?" She whirled around to look into Anderson's amused face and gasped aloud. "I thought I just heard you say that you want to knock up the women of Alpha team. Do you want them to go through the same experience as you do?"

She shook her head vigorously, motioning him in. He shut the door behind him and took a seat on the couch, looking at her expectantly. "It's not that. My doctor just gave me the news about my own lack of fertility, and well, if I can't get pregnant, at least my friends could have babies for me to spoil."

"And you think that this is the best idea? Getting three women who all have intimate knowledge of how a gun works pregnant, and subjecting the men to that potential shitstorm? I mean, one of them is the man that you love."

Anderson arched an eyebrow as he looked at her, and she shrugged, taking a seat next to him. "Look, they're not all going to get pregnant. Even I wouldn't be that crazy. As soon as I get confirmation that one of them is in the family way, I'll stop all the extraordinary measures to knock them up. All I want is one baby to love on, even if it's not my own."

She sighed a little and then looked at Anderson, seeing him shake his head. "You are incorrigible, Garcia. But I won't breathe a word of this insane little plan of yours. I highly doubt it will result in anything other than some bonding between you four."

Penelope shrugged, smiling at Anderson. "We'll have to see, now won't we? Care to make a wager on the fact that I will have one of my friends pregnant in three months' time?"

"You, my dear, are on. Five hundred dollars that I'm right."

"I hope you are prepared to put up, Anderson." She held out her hand and he shook it firmly, smiling as he shook his head. "You just watch – I'm going to win that bet by the next quarter."

"We'll see, Garcia. We'll see."


End file.
